Pole top disconnect switch



Aug. 18, 1964 J. G. PAHL POLE TOP DISCONNECT SWITCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 5, 1962 INVENTOR. John G. Pal)! WMPMeAaZF Aug.'18, 1964 J. G. PAHL POLE TOP DISCONNECT SWITCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 5, 1962 United States Patent 3,145,272 POLE TOP DISCONNECT SWITCH John G. Pahl, P.0. Box 1257, Stockton, Calif. Filed Oct. 5, 1962, Ser. No. 228,702 Claims. (Cl. 200-48) This invention relates to electrical equipment for use on exterior installations, and particularly to an improved pole-top switch for a current carrying cable.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a switch, of the type described, adapted to be mounted in direct connection with and supported from a pole in radial relation thereto, and which switch is provided with means which enables it to be operated from the ground and adjacent the pole. 7

An additional object of the invention is to provide a pole-top switch which includes a rigid support connected to and projecting radially from the pole, thereby enabling a number of the switches to be supported from the pole in circumferentially, or vertically, spaced relation to each other.

A circuit cable in which the switch is interposed normally has a sag between its anchor or dead-end points on adjacent poles, and which sag is apt to vary from time to time or with different installations. At the pole adjacent which the switch is located, the point of inception of the cable sag is on the aforementioned support as close to the pole as is practicable, in order to reduce the deflecting or bending strains on such support; the switch structure being mounted in connection with the cable radially out from the pole beyond such point.

It is therefore another object of this invention to so construct and arrange the switch that its cooperating and relatively movable parts will always remain in proper alinement with each other regardless of variations in the sag of the cable, and thus opening and closing of the switch may be effected without binding or misalinernent of said movable parts.

A further object of the invention is to provide a poletop switch which is designed for ease and economy of manufacture.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a practical, reliable and durable pole-top switch, and one which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation, of the improved pole-top switch structure, showing the switch closed.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary cross section, taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but partly in section and showing the position of the parts occupied when there is a sag in the circuit cable which extends from one pole to the next.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the switch structure, on a reduced scale.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, and

at any suitable height by means of a bracket plate 3 secured to the adjacent or pole end of the support 1 and bolted to the pole as indicated at 4.

The dead-end arm or shank 5 of the insulators 6 adjacent to but beyond the support 1 enters the outer initially open end of said support, and at its inner end is mounted in a conventional manner on a cross pin 7 in the support 1 which is arranged to allow a limited rotation of the shank and independent swivel movement thereof in a vertical plane, while preventing axial movement of said shank.

At the outer end of the support 1 the shank 5 projects, with a turning fit, through a cross plate 8 which is mounted-for vertical sliding movementon transversely spaced bolts 9 secured to the support 1 on opposite sides thereof, and projecting through vertical slots 10 in the plate 8, as shown in FIG. 2.

The shank 5, between the cross pin 7 and the pole end of the support 1, is provided with a rotary extension 11. This extension is centered in the support, and at its outer end is operatively connected to the shank 5 for rotating the same upon rotation of said extension, without alfecting the swivel movement of the shank. Adjacent its inner end, which is relatively close to the pole 2, the extension 11 is journaled in a cross member 12 in the support 1.

A radial arm 13 projects outwardly at an initially upward angle from the inner end of the extension 11, through a slot 14 in one side of the support; a push-pull bar or rod 15 being connected to the outer upper end of the arm 13. This rod depends from the arm 13 relatively close to the pole 2, to a point near the ground where it is convenient for operation by the lineman.

The shank 16 of the outermost one of the insulators 6, and which shank is of course rigid with the shank 5, is curved upwardly, and terminates in a normally substantially vertical upstanding male switch blade 17. The main current-carrying cable 18 is suitably anchored to the deadend member 19 of the shank 16 in a conventional manner, and extends thence upwardly to a connection with a clamp 20 mounted on the shank 16 intermediate its ends. A

bus cable 21 extends upwardly from the clamp 20 to a connection with the switch blade 17 at its lower end.

The female member 22 of the switch, and which comprises laterally projecting blades 22a to cooperate with the blade 17, is fixed on a rigid arm 23, which is disposed parallel to and directly above the shank 5. The arm 23 extends toward pole 2 so as to overlie a portion of the support 1, and is there secured by a clamp 24 to the top of an insulator 25.

A bus cable 26 extends along the arm 23 from a connection with the switch member 22 to a suitable connection (not shown) with the extension portion 27 leading from the dead-end member 28 of another pole-mounted circuit cable 29, as indicated in FIG. 4.

The cable 26 is guided along the top of the arm 23, which-rearwardly of the clamp 24is turned to extend laterally, as shown at 23a in FIG. 4. This enables the cable 26, which is guided along the top of said arm to its rear end, to avoid possible contact with the pole 2, or with the insulators 6a of the dead-end member 28,. as said cable 26 passes from the arm 23 to its connection with the extension portion 27.

The depending axial shank 30 of the insulator 25 isdisposed at right angles to the arm 23, and at its lower end said shank is provided with a horizontal base flange 31 which is bolted to a matching flange 32. Flange 32 is rigid with a longitudinally extending depending plate 33 which is confined between substantially matching ears 34 rigid with and upstanding from the support 1 at its outer forward end. At its rear or inner end, the plate 33 is pivoted to the ears 34 by a cross bolt 35; another cross bolt 36 being mounted in said ears adjacent their forward ends and projecting through a vertical slot 37 in the plate 33. The clamp 24, insulator 25, shank 30 and the depending plate 33 together form a rigid standard which connects the arm 23 with the support 1. Said plate, together with the insulator 25 and the arm 23, may thus swing as a unit through a limited are about the bolt 35 as an axis. Ears 38 are rigidly secured to the cross plate 8 and extend upwardly therefrom on opposite sides of the plate 33 in front of the ears 34, and to which plate said ears are pivoted, as at 39.

It will be noted that another pair of ears 34a depends from the support 1 in opposed relation to the ears 34. This feature enables the support to be inverted in position in the event that it is desired to have the arm 13 project from the opposite side of the support, while still maintaining the insulator 25 and parts connected thereto disposed in upstanding relation to the support.

From the above description of parts, it will be seen that upon pulling down on the rod 15, the shank extension 11 will be rotated in the support 1, and by reason of the connection of said extension with the shank unit and 16 of the insulators 6, said unit will be rotated as well. Due to the radial relation of the switch blade 17 to the axis of rotation of the insulator shanks, said blade will thus be pulled laterally from the female member 22, and the switch will be opened.

When the cable 18 is strung between adjacent line poles, said cable inevitably has a certain amount of sag, and in the present instance, with the switch operating mechanism shown, the point of inception of the sag is not at the deadend member 19, but within the support 1 as close to the pole 2 as is practicable, or in this case the cross pin 7. By so doing, the bending strains imparted to the rigid support 1 are reduced to the minimum. When any sag occurs, the shank 5 is swung down about the pin 7, and the cross plate 8 is lowered by the shank movement, as will be evident. At the same time, the switch blade 17Which through the various connecting parts is rigid with said shank-becomes canted from its initial vertical position, as shown in FIG. 3.

Due to the connection of the plate 33 with the cross plate 8, as previously described, the arm 23, which is rigid with said plate 33, is swung down to the same extent as the shank 5. The female switch member 22 is thus canted to the same degree as the male switch blade 17, and the switch members always remain in the proper alined relation with each other. Thus, the switch may be opened or closed Without there being any tendency for the cooperating switch parts to bind or become misalined relative to each other, regardless of the degree of sag that there may be in the cable 18.

When assembling the structure and after the cable is attached thereto and the natural sag thereof has developed, the bolts 9 in the cross plate 8 are tightened, as Well as the bolts 36 of the ears 34 so as to hold the parts in a fixed position from then on.

While primarily designed for direct mounting on the pole, and here so shown and described, the switch may under certain conditions-be carried on a cross arm or other member fixed to the pole. Thus the word pole as used herein shall be deemed to include any pole mounted member suitable for attachment of the switch.

If a number of switch controlled cables are to be supported from one pole, the corresponding switches may be disposed in circumferentially spaced relation or in vertically spaced alinement on the pole. In the latter event the switches can all be operated by one depending rod 15.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that there has been produced such a device as will substantially fulfill the objects of the invention, as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, the following is claimed as new and useful, and upon which Letters Patent are desired:

1. A pole-top switch structure, between adjacent circuit cables, comprising a rigid elongated and tubular support, means to secure the support in connection with the pole on one side thereof so that the support projects lengthwise of one cable, a rigid unit connected at its outer end to the adjacent end of said one cable, said unit comprising a shank projecting into the support from the outer end thereof, means mounting the shank at its inner end in the support for limited rotation substantially about the axis of the support, an extension projecting rearwardly in the support from the inner end of the shank and connected thereto for rotation thereby, means mounting the extension in the support for rotation about the axis of the support, an arm projecting radially and laterally out from the extension through a side opening in the support, a push-pull rod depending from the outer end of the arm, and cooperating switch members connected to the cables, one member being connected to the support and the other member to the shank and functioning to open and close the switch upon rotation of the shank in one direction or the other.

2. A pole-top switch structure, between adjacent circuit cables, comprising a rigid support, means to secure the support in connection with the pole on one side thereof so that the support projects lengthwise of one cable, a rigid unit connecting the adjacent end of said one cable to the support for limited rotation about a substantially horizontal axis and independent swinging in a vertical plane, manually operable means to rotate the unit from below, one switch member connected to said one cable, means mounting siad member radially out from the axis thereof, another switch member connected to the other cable to cooperate with the one member upon rotation of the unit in one direction or the other, means mounting the other switch member in connection with the support for swinging movement in a vertical plane, and a connection between the unit and said mounting means to swing the latter as the unit swings to maintain said other switch member in cooperative alinement with the one member.

3. A pole-top switch structure, between adjacent circuit cables, comprising a rigid support, means to secure the support in connection with the pole on one side thereof so that the support projects lengthwise of one cable, a rigid unit connecting the adjacent end of said one cable to the support for limited rotation about a substantially horizontal axis and independent swinging in a vertical plane, manually operable means to rotate the unit from below, one switch member connected to said one cable, means mounting said member radially out from and above the axis thereof, another switch member to cooperate with the one member upon rotation of the unit in one direction or the other, a rigid arm substantially parallel to the axis of the unit and on which the other switch member is mounted, the arm extending from said other switch member to a termination overlying and spaced above the support, a standard rigid with the arm and depending to the support, transverse pivot means connecting the lower end of the standard and the support, and a connection between the standard ahead of the pivot means and the unit ahead of the support to swing the standard and arm as the unit swings and to the same extent.

4. A structure, as in claim 3, in which the support is tubular and the unit enters the support from the forward end thereof, and the adjacent portion of the unit is circular in cross section; the last named connection comprising a cross plate slidea'oly mounted on the support at its forward end for vertical movement and through which the circular portion of the unit projects with a turning fit, and an ear mounted on and upstanding from the plate and pivotally connected at its upper end to the standard.

5. A structure, as in claim 3, in which the last named connection comprises a cross plate mounted on the forward end of the support for vertical movement and oper- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Kalenborn et a1. Dec. 16, 1913 Townsend Aug. 13, 1918 

1. A POLE-TOP SWITCH STRUCTURE, BETWEEN ADJACENT CIRCUIT CABLES, COMPRISING A RIGID ELONGATED AND TUBULAR SUPPORT, MEANS TO SECURE THE SUPPORT IN CONNECTION WITH THE POLE ON ONE SIDE THEREOF SO THAT THE SUPPORT PROJECTS LENGTHWISE OF ONE CABLE, A RIGID UNIT CONNECTED AT ITS OUTER END TO THE ADJACENT END OF SAID ONE CABLE, SAID UNIT COMPRISING A SHANK PROJECTING INTO THE SUPPORT FROM THE OUTER END THEREOF, MEANS MOUNTING THE SHANK AT ITS INNER END IN THE SUPPORT FOR LIMITED ROTATION SUBSTANTIALLY ABOUT THE AXIS OF THE SUPPORT, AN EXTENSION PROJECTING REARWARDLY IN THE SUPPORT FROM THE INNER END OF THE SHANK AND CONNECTED THERETO FOR ROTATION THEREBY, MEANS MOUNTING THE EXTENSION IN THE SUPPORT FOR ROTATION ABOUT THE AXIS OF THE SUPPORT, AN ARM PROJECTING RADIALLY AND LATERALLY OUT FROM THE EXTENSION THROUGH A SIDE OPENING IN THE SUPPORT, A PUSH-PULL ROD DEPENDING FROM THE OUTER END OF THE ARM, AND COOPERATING SWITCH MEMBERS CONNECTED TO THE CABLES, ONE MEMBER BEING CONNECTED TO THE SUPPORT AND THE OTHER MEMBER TO THE SHANK AND FUNCTIONING TO OPEN AND CLOSE THE SWITCH UPON ROTATION OF THE SHANK IN ONE DIRECTION OR THE OTHER. 